Africa

Mountains
The Red Sea
North
Cities
Africa
Rivers and Lakes

Seven tents appear in the interior of the portolan chart, four in Africa, two north of the Black Sea and one slightly west of it. There are no rulers shown in the tents, as are found on some other portolan charts.


Africa

Other decorations on the interior include cities, mountains, flags, lakes, and rivers. A researcher finds many challenges on a portolan chart such as this one, not the least identifying place-names on it.

Place-names on the northern coast of Africa include Seren, One, Arzau, Brischa, Bona, Bizerta, eastward to Tripoli de Barbaria, Tolometa, Luco, Alexandria, and Damiata (many of these places have been identified).

bona tripoli

Decorations in Africa include a White Tower,

white tower

views of cities "Termisen," "Babilonia" and one unnamed city in the middle of a lake. (These places have not been identified on modern maps.)

termisen
babilonia
city in a lake

Young navigator linkGeography

Use the magnifying glass to see African details on the southern section below.

magnifying glass Under the Magnifying Glass

The 1489 Canepa

north
south
west
East
center

©1999-2001 by the Regents of the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. University Libraries. All rights reserved. Please credit the James Ford Bell Library, University of Minnesota if you copy or reproduce material from this page.
URL: http://www.bell.lib.umn.edu/index.html